John Peck

Geauga Lake was certainly not thriving in the late 1960's. As Euclid Beach were closing and my parents moved East, they began to go to Geauga Lake which they mentioned was run down and small. Short answer: Sea World Killed Geauga Lake Sea World (who on average entertained 1.5 - 2 Million) gaveth life and tooketh life away. Geauga was thriving all the years that Sea World were open with on average 1 million Guests per year. Incidentally, Geauga Lakes Best season on record was 1999. Six Flags Ohio brought in 2.1 million people in the 2000 season... and for a park that could comfortably handle perhaps 1.4 Million, the park was understaffed, under maintained and as dirty as heck and the higher attendance showed how unprepared the park was. Many of those 2.1 people would never visit again due to a bad experience. Six Flags combining the parks (Originally over 3 Million combined in 2000 to about 1.7 for the entire gate in 2001 and dropping from that point on-) was the other hitter as well as Six Flags went from about 100 acres to 600 and being in three townships, the taxes were horrendous. Kinzel himself said many times as far back as 2005 "Geauga Lake does not bring in enough to sustain its size" So with an average of 700k guests from 2004 to 2007 and tons of expenses and taxes high maintenance rides including older ones that were falling apart (double loop, etc) the park wasn't making enough money. Not to mention, the local unions were boycotting the park for using non-unionized labor, which is a very common and dirty trick that unions do. In the end, I don't ever believe Cedar Fair ever bought the park to close it. Why do i think that? First, it would have been closed in 2004, second, they spent millions on refurbishing rides (even ones they didn't retain), spent millions on new merchandise and signage and renovated several locations within the park. They also built a $25 Million waterpark (a mistake, but still, a brand new waterpark) The numbers never worked out in their favor. What should Cedar Fair have done? Sold off everything on the Sea World side, and kept Geauga Lake the smaller, local park many people loved just with smaller rides.

See, I disagree with some of you. You don't need to build one extreme coaster/thrill ride after another to be successful. I do feel that many of the Cedar Fair parks have been a bit off balance lately, with so many new rides requiring a 52 or 54" height requirement. Coaster after coaster mixed in with kiddie ride after kiddie ride, it seems like the middle range has been forgotten. Long gone are the days of the Arrow mine train with a 42" height restriction. I wonder what is keeping manufacturers from finding a better rider height balance. Recent disappointment with Cedar Point is the loss of Paddlewheel in my book, but perhaps there may be more to it than what we see on the surface.

I went to Disney for New Years Eve 99/00 and Magic Kingdom closed at 10:30 for capacity. Fortunately, I was going to MGM (at the time) and got there well before it "closed" with my cast member friends. Like many people have said, Legoland will have to work this out on how they deal with traffic better. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a new E-Ticket attraction moved up by 2013 depending on how the summer goes, which I'm sure will be great. Also to note: You'll find that people complain more online than they will anywhere else. There is something about hiding behind your computer that makes you feel more brave, and generally those same people are much different in real-life situations. I do it too, but it happens more than you think.

I think it will mostly be repainting and a retheme, with the majority of money going into new amenities. I'm sure the locals may notice most is the same, especially previous Cypress Gardens pass holders, but the tourists will think it's 100% brand new.

Great Photos. What kind of camera are you using? Are these built-in effects, or are you using a special lens?

Capacity is the big reason. Those Windseekers hold 64 people.

Great Drawings, but don't forget, the shadows go away from your light source, not towards.

I'll be the first to say it: Cedar Fair were tired of all the political B.S. and found an opportunity to dump it. C.F. were ready to invest significantly several times but kept getting the door slammed on them. I am still optimistic about this park. It obviously makes enough money, and is important enough to the city (though they seem to hate other companies running it), so once things calm down a bit and they get their first season under their belt, we'll have a better understanding of the future of this park. My prediction: JMA Ventures will find out how valuable the park is, and you will see new attractions being built since they are obviously in bed with the local government, and they will have a hard time saying "no" to new investments in attractions.

^ I think they are doing something in the Daylight, but not for Haunt. Besides, I figure there would be too many ways the Dino's could be vandalized. "The haunt crowd can be rough" is what I was told by a PR person back when Fear Fest began.

Many rides on this list weren't really mistakes when they were conceived. There was no way of knowing how unreliable many of these attractions would become, and it's a shame, there were some pretty neat ride concepts. • California Adventure was a blunder because of their "Lack of Disney/Innovation" concept. It just didn't work, and was an expensive lesson. • Hard Rock Park was badly marketed and in non-sustaining area • Island of Adventure didn't have enough rides for smaller riders. Fortunately, they resolved that quickly. • Wild West World got over hyped and under delivered and then ran out of cash There are more to list, but those are some of the bigger ones.

I don't see them either.

Yep, looking more like a Wingrider or Zaczpin, especially with that new piece removed.

It's a 238' Starflyer*. You heard it here first™. * For entertainment purposes only.

CGA has the height limit, though I guess they could build a 200' version. Not sure about Worlds Of Fun or Valley... how are their numbers doing? Dominion would be the other possible contender. KD has gotten something (new or used) almost every year so far since Cedar Fair. (Waterpark expansion, Dominator, I305, Planet Snoopy, Giant Wheel & El Dorado, Starlight Spectacular)

Quick plug... when ya'll go up there to ride this next year, stop on by Ontario Place as they put in a Wacky Worm this year.

If it's the part I think they are talking about, the central mast is a "decorative" piece. Below is a link and you can see the mast in the center of the boat sticking up www.flatrides.com/Ride Index/ChanceSeaDragon.jpg

Though I am saddened, I understand where they are coming from with removing Paddlewheel, but I do hope they relocate the props to the train, somewhere else, or send some down to Kings Island—last week the guy on the train (at Kings Island) was doing a spiel while we rode, but sadly, he didn't have much to work with. I know they are moving money around a bit, but next year would have been nice to see a new family flat ride like a set of Tea Cups

^ or the world of Harry Potter. Frankly, I'm waiting for Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider The Ride. Quick bit about the TF3 movie.. I actually liked it, but notice this: the movies feel like long episodes because the last two used similar plots and elements from the 80's cartoon series storylines. (Fans: look up "Megatron's Master Plan") If they keep making new ones, I'll be happy, and if not, that's fine too.

This would have hit them with no time to get to safety. As bad as this was, it could have been so much worse, especially if the concert had started and fans pushed in closer to the stage.

This coaster WILL NOT be a dive machine Due to the track style (width, ties). My gut is a floorless or wingrider by the way it's shaped.

Perhaps she got fired between the lap bar incident and the time you got back to the station. I've seen mostly good ride ops in my visits to Cedar, but there will always be some bad ones. Guests are getting worse now, especially those from the Cleveland area and Detroit were the mood is bad, it's hard to deal with the public.

I doubt we'll be seeing a Zacspin—too low of capacity for a new ride. Cedar Fair seems to be a little more daring lately when it comes to building "newer" or "first" products, so I wouldn't be surprised if we see something new to the industry, or a new twist on a newer design next. I've said this before, but I would like to see a 4-train 120' dueling/racing GCI where Mean Streak is and a few new flat rides next to that.

Well, I don't like to spread false info, but right now there is a "rumor" that SFMM's Deja Vu is headed to SFNE, which is odd because they do have a Boomerang. (though that didn't stop La Ronde from adding the SLC near a B&M invert) But back to SFGrAm: With Iron Wolf going, that leaves a smaller footprint open to a Deja Vu-sized ride, doesn't it? 99.9% sure it won't happen, but it's one of those "Things that make you going Hmm". (do you like my C&C referencing?)

When I was in my early 20's I would name off all the stats and figures and fortunately, noticed "bored" reactions around me and rolling eyes. At one time, it was all about rides and coasters, but now I'm interested in the business model. I rarely discuss them with my wife, though she'll go with me to parks, we hardly spend full days there anymore. I'll still talk about them to others, but only if the conversation is relevant. Nowadays, I'll talk cars and politics. Again, only when it's relevant.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if SFGrAm got SFMM's Deja Vu? Doubt it would happen, but you never know!